The fifth round of the EMX Women European Championship took place this weekend in Heinola, Finland, following a long journey from Romania for many of the riders.
Danée Gelissen (Husqvarna) once again proved why she remains the rider to beat in the series. After taking the holeshot in Saturday’s qualifying race, the Dutchwoman carried that momentum into Race 1. Latvia’s Patrīcija Bērziņa (GasGas), competing in the Women 125 category, briefly led the field before Gelissen moved into the lead and controlled the race from the front.
Lithuania’s Adrija Skudutytė (KTM) followed Gelissen home in second place, while Bērziņa secured third overall and victory in the Women 125 classification. Melissa Mäntylä finished fourth ahead of Laura Raunkjaer. In Women 125, Theodora Gumeniuc (KTM) and Toke Tops (TM Moto) were both delayed by an opening-lap incident but recovered impressively to finish second and third in class.
Race 2 once again belonged to Gelissen. Laura Raunkjaer (Honda) grabbed the early lead but crashed on the opening lap, allowing the Dutch rider to take control of the race. From there, Gelissen never looked back, securing her fourth overall victory of the season.
Skudutytė repeated her second-place finish from Race 1, while local favourite Melissa Mäntylä (KTM) claimed her first-ever European Championship podium in front of her home crowd.
In the championship standings, Gelissen can no longer be caught and has effectively secured the EMX Women title ahead of the final round in Estonia. Despite a difficult weekend, Raunkjaer retains second place in the standings.
The Women 125 category delivered some of the most exciting racing of the weekend, with Theodora Gumeniuc and Patrīcija Bērziņa battling throughout both motos.
Bērziņa took victory in Race 1 ahead of Gumeniuc and Tops, but Gumeniuc struck back in Race 2 after an intense wheel-to-wheel battle with the Latvian rider. With both competitors finishing the weekend tied on points, Gumeniuc’s Race 2 victory proved decisive, handing her the overall win. Tops completed the podium after two consistent rides.
Heading into the final round, Gumeniuc holds a 15-point advantage over Bērziņa, while Tops sits 35 points behind the championship leader. The final championship podium is already set to feature these three riders, but the question remains: in what order will they finish?
